


Wait for Me, Won't You?

by emfisis



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Epilogue, F/M, One Shot, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 11:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13762731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emfisis/pseuds/emfisis
Summary: Ahiru is making a new life for herself in Gold Crown Town. Nearly a year after where the series left off, our heroine is back as a human girl, but this time she is no longer burdened by the stress of being the tragic hero. However, that doesn't mean her life is free of problems. Ahiru must learn how to be a normal human girl without the powers of a heart shard, and that includes learning to love and forgive.





	Wait for Me, Won't You?

**Author's Note:**

> There's nothing TOO steamy, but I gave the rating I think it deserved.  
> Also, be warned, this is an un-betaed work. I apologize in advance for any errors.

“Those two, please.” Ahiru pointed to a couple of plump apples and pulled out her change purse. As the man placed the fruit in her wicker basket, Ahiru’s eyes wandered to a display of bright red strawberries. “Oh! I’ll also take some of those as well.”

“Of course,” said the farmer as they exchanged the goods and payment. The silver coins jingled as he placed them in his pocket with a smile. Well, Ahiru couldn’t _see_ his smile from behind his signature burly mustache and beard, but she saw the gratitude on his tanned face. “Should I expect you again next week, Miss Arima?”

“Oh yes, Mr. Litton! Your fruit has always been our favorite.” She pursed her lips, holding back something but the inquisitive look on the man’s face was enough to convince her.

“Although,” she began slowly, “I must ask if there any chance you might bring back your delicious blueberries?”

 The farmer chuckled at her innocence. His deep voice was comforting, like that of a grandfather’s. “Well, I’ll have to see how the bushes are feeling,” he thought aloud while stroking his beard, “but if they are feeling generous I will make sure to save the best ones for you.”

Ahiru clasped her hands together with stars twinkling in her eyes. “Oh, really? Thank you so much! That’s so kind of you!”

“Nonsense!” he crossed his arms with a smirk. “Just showing my gratitude to a loyal patron. Oh, speaking of, say hello to Karon and that kid of his for me, won’t you?”

“I certainly will. They’ll be happy to get some fresh fruit.” Ahiru picked up her basket and tucked her coin purse securely inside her skirts. “Well, I’ll be seeing you again next week! Goodbye, Mr. Litton, and thanks again!”

“See you later, Miss Akira.”

She waved to the man as she left his stall and struggled to keep from skipping. The air was clear, and the weather was perfect. A few clouds drifted by over Gold Crown Town and Ahiru was enjoying every bit of it. Her small straw hat was just enough to keep the sun off her abundantly freckled face and shoulders.

She loved how clean and new everything felt. The floral shop in town was nearly bursting at the seams with fresh flowers and greenery. What little space left inside was stuffed with customers eagerly waiting to ask for the shopkeeper’s, Madame Joanna, help. As she walked past the storefront, the frantic woman caught a glimpse of Ahiru and waved before diving right back into the frenzy.

As she continued through town with her basket full of goodies, Ahiru passed by a few friends and occasionally stopped to catch up. The beautiful atmosphere seemed to have everyone in a good mood and her basket quickly filled with gifts people had passed on to her. The spoils of the season overflowed, and so did Ahiru’s basket.

When her feet began to ache, she stopped into a nearby tea room to rest. She chose to sit outside on the patio at a wooden table guarded against the sun under a blue-striped umbrella. Resting in the shade made Ahiru realize how warm the day was turning and was thankful for the protection.

Luckily, a gentle wind came rushing by and took the heat with it while brushing through Ahiru’s long braid. After a minute of looking through the menu and asking the server’s recommendation, she decided on green tea with mint.

Ahiru pulled a few strawberries from her basket and nibbled on them as she waited. As soon as the sweet juice reached her tongue, she whimpered with delight. It was the perfect blend of sweet and tart. Mr. Litton’s berries were certainly the best in town and they were certainly an anchor that kept her in town. She only wished she could afford to purchase his entire stall.

Not much later, the waitress returned with the green tea with a small plate of scones. The cold drink danced over her tongue and relieved her throat. Ahiru could feel the tension in her muscles begin to ease as she let out a long sigh. Unable to stop herself, she downed the whole cup in one breath, gasped for air, and then refilled the cup.

“Ahiru! Ahiru!”

Said girl looked over her shoulder to see Pique and Lilie walking towards her. Their arms were loaded with baskets of clothes, flowers, food, and other things but Pique managed to wave energetically as they approached. Ahiru rose from her seat and rushed over to them.

“Pique! Lilie! It’s so good to see you both!” The girls set their things down and they embraced in a group hug. Ahiru squeezed them one last time before releasing them.

“If you’re not too busy, you should have tea with me!”

“Oh, that would be lovely,” Lilie said while moving around the table. The two girls thanked Ahiru for the generous offer and took their seats, pouring themselves a cup. They simultaneously took a sip and a familiar rush of relief washed over their faces. They hummed, appreciating the smooth taste.

“Well, Ahiru, how have you been?” Pique asked between sips, “It seems like it’s been ages since we last saw you! If I had known you’d be so preoccupied with your happy life, I would have sent in Lilie to snoop around earlier!” She crossed her legs with a knowing look on her face.

Ahiru’s face flushed with heat. “S-snoop? What are you snooping around for?”

“If you haven’t been talking to us, Ahiru, it must mean you’ve been hiding a deep, dark secret!” Lilie explained with an enthusiasm that made Ahiru uneasy. “Don’t tell me you’ve been thrown out of Mr. Karon’s house already! Oh no! You’ve been a naughty girl, haven’t you? You’re in a secret relationship with your landlord’s son, Senior Fakir!” The blonde suddenly gasped so loudly both girls jumped in their seats. Her hands covered her mouth as if she couldn’t believe her own words “and now you’re _pregnant_!?”

Pique looked at her as if Lilie’s accused scandal were true, gasping in disbelief. Ahiru was so overwhelmed she wasn’t sure what to say at first so she sat stuttering nothing, sweating and blushing the same color as her hair. She frantically waved her hands, “No! No no no! I’m not hiding anything, I’m not being thrown out, and I am _most_ _certainly_ _not_ pregnant!”

She sighed while Pique and Lilie gave her a look. “D-did you want me to be pregnant?” Ahiru knew her friends enjoyed gossip, but that was extreme even for them.

The girls shared a glance before Pique spoke up. “Ahiru, we’re sorry for teasing you. Lilie went a little far with the pregnancy thing,” she shot Lilie a glance, who suddenly found interest in the sky, “but You disappeared from the face of the earth! We didn’t know where you had gone or if something terrible had happened to you!” She swallowed heavily and brushed away the tears building in her eyes. She calmed down again before speaking “We’ve worried a lot about you.”

Ahiru frowned at her tea. They weren’t wrong, after all. Ahiru had neglected her friends for a while now, but she hadn’t put them off intentionally. She had been trying to catch up with her life after Mythos and Rue left and she had gone back to being a duck, and just a duck.

After the defeat of the raven, Ahiru had reacclimated to living on her little pond in town, eating grapes and oats from the children who would go fishing or walk past her. The seasons were changing, and it was almost time for her to migrate to warmer weather. It wasn’t until Fakir came to see her and he took her home.

He spent nearly a week constantly working on a story, but he wouldn’t let Ahiru read it. When she thought he had forgotten about her, she tried to walk back to the pond. He would notice her absence and ask her to stay. He sounded so hopeful and determined, that she listened. She made a small ‘nest’ out of blankets and old shirts and nestled in as winter took its hold on the town.

Ahiru was startled awake from a late afternoon nap with Fakir suddenly stood from his writing desk. The sun was streaming through the window and encased the room in a renewing orange glow. With weary eyes, he wrote a few more sentences, and then a paragraph, and all at once, Ahiru began to feel different.

The next thing she knew, she was on the floor with a blanket thrown over her. She pulled the blanket away from her face and realized she had hands

Human hands! She was a girl again! Thank goodness Fakir was ready with the blanket because she was totally exposed like before she had given up her amulet.

Fakir, overcome with exhaustion, collapsed in her arms and slept. Ahiru hugged him tight and cried silently. She found a large shirt that she could cover herself with and managed to pull Fakir into his bed. She fell asleep while watching over him, protectively holding his hand.

At dusk the next day, Fakir woke to a familiar red-head sleeping at his bedside. He reached over and stroked her hair, feeling the long frizzy strands through his calloused fingers. Her eyes fluttered open and she embraced him in a hug.

After talking with Karon, they worked out a deal that Ahiru could stay with them if she took up of some of the house chores with Fakir. Ever since, she had been given charge of running errands, cooking, and some cleaning around the house (though she and Fakir both shared that job).

That was nearly a month ago and she was finally growing used to her new life. Things were falling into a comfortable and familiar rhythm, and she hadn’t really thought about the people she used to be so close to and relied on. The guilt quickly washed over her.

“I never meant to hurt either of you and for that, I am so sorry. I left you in the dark for so long and that’s not what friends do.” Ahiru built up the courage to look them in the eyes, grasping her teacup for support, “If you would have me back, I still want to be your friend and I will do anything to make it up to you.”

Pique rolled her eyes. “Who said anything about not taking you back?” she teased.

Lilie cupped her cheeks and shook her head giddily, “That’s so cute, Ahiru! You must have felt so embarrassed!”

Ahiru blushed a deep red and fanned herself. “You guys! I was trying to be serious!”

They moved over to Ahiru’s side and embraced her. “Don’t worry kid, we’re good. Just don’t disappear on us again, alright?”

Ahiru teared up and shook her head. She wrapped her arms around her friends and pulled them close. “I promise! I don’t want to disappear ever again!”

“As if we would even let you!”

The afternoon drifted by and when the sun brushed the horizon, the girls finally went their separate ways. Packing themselves like mules, Pique and Lilie left in one direction while Ahiru headed back to Karon’s house. Her eyes were heavy as she walked out of the town square and headed to the little cottage on the outskirts of Gold Crown Town.

As she drew closer, Ahiru could see a few candles lit through the window. She walked around to the back where Karon’s workshop was. At the giant oven, Karon stood and watched the blaze of the fire turn a piece of iron red hot.

“Good evening, Karon.”

The man turned and smiled when he saw her while wiping the sweat from his brow. “Ah! Good evening, Ahiru! How was town today?”

She sat on a stool by his drafting table and placed her hat on the stand next to it. A drawing of a sword was sketched out on a large sheet and she carefully studied every detail. His design for the hilt was beautiful and was to be lavishly decorated with reliefs that looked like little sunbursts. Karon was as good of an artist as he was a blacksmith.

“It was _wonderful_ , Karon! The weather was beautiful, and I even unexpectedly met up with a few friends.”

“Not that I wasn’t doing my chores!” She frantically reassured him, “I was! I even made sure to stop by and pick up some things from Mr. Litton’s stand!” She showed him the fresh fruit, sewing supplies, and writing ink she had bought from the market.

“I’m very glad you completed your errands, but it’s completely fine if you spend time with your friends, Ahiru. I’ve been trying to tell you to get out and do something for yourself for weeks!” Karon had taken his gloves off and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “What’s life worth if you can’t enjoy it,” he winked at her.

She smiled and nodded. She understood him perfectly. “You’re right. I’ll start trying to enjoy myself a little more.”

“Good,” He said as he ruffled her hair. Ahiru playfully swatted him away as she collected her things.

Ahiru headed to the back door of the cottage and walked into the kitchen. It was dark as usual and Ahiru lit a candle. She put the food away before heading upstairs. The attic had been renovated from one bedroom to two with Ahiru’s room down the hall from Fakir’s. From under the door, Ahiru could see a silhouette outlined from a candle.

Ahiru walked past Fakir’s room into her own. She set her hat and sewing supplies down and flopped onto her twin bed, letting her face hit the soft sheets. Her muscles relaxed as she lay motionless. Her eyelids slowly lowered as she let sleep take her.

She was just about to slip into her dreams when a loud thud came from down the hall.

Ahiru quickly stood up and ran to Fakir’s room. As she burst in, Fakir kneeled on the ground trying to dry up something on the floor. Fakir looked up at her apologetically.

“Sorry, I spilled my ink.” He pulled up his now black stained shirt and stood.

Ahiru sighed with relief. “No, it’s alright. I thought you might have been hurt.”

Fakir pulled a fresh shirt from his drawers and pulled it on over his head. “Nothing hurt here but my pride.”

Ahiru couldn’t hold the chuckle that escaped her nose.

“Nothing new, then,” She whispered under her breath.

“What was that?”

Ahiru looked innocently off in a different direction. “Me? I didn’t say anything.”

Fakir grumbled, obviously not convinced. “Uh-huh.”

Over at his desk, Ahiru picked up the page that Fakir had been writing on. Lines of his beautiful penmanship had reached about halfway down the page before being obscured by the spilled ink. She could make out a few of the words, but there wasn’t enough for her to understand the context. About a paragraph in, she stumbled across Mythos and Rue’s names though.

“Were you writing a story about Rue and Mythos?” She asked over her shoulder.

Fakir reached over her head and snatched the page away from her. He crumbled it up and threw it into his waste pile. “That’s none of your business.” He said matter-of-factly.

“None of my business, you say? If you were writing about them, then maybe it’s presumptuous of me to say I was also in the story.”

Fakir crossed his arms and chewed on his cheek. When he avoided eye contact as she walked towards him, she knew she was right.

Now that she was wasn’t distracted, Ahiru noticed he traded his usual low ponytail for a high bun. He only put his hair up like that when he was stumped with his writing.

“I nearly forgot!” Ahiru exclaimed excitedly before darting out of the room. Before Fakir could even ask where she had gone, Ahiru came running back with her basket. “I bought you something when I was in town today!”

“You… bought something for me?” He sounded confused, which made Ahiru question how little he thought she cared about him. “Why?”

She pouted at how unbelieving he was in her. “Yes, I bought something for you. I saw it and I thought of you. That’s why I bought it.” She explained while putting her basket on his desk. She pulled out three small containers.

Each had a different colored lid: Purple, Pink, and Green. She showed them to him and he stared at them with fascination.

“What are they?” His voice was just above a whisper as if they were sharing a secret.

Ahiru sputtered a laugh. He was just like a child.

“They’re inks, silly! Look, they have pigments in them so when you write your words will be different colors!”

He took the green ink first and sat at his desk. Ahiru placed her basket on the floor as Fakir pulled out a fresh sheet of paper. He lightly dipped his pen in the ink and stared blankly at the page. He turned to Ahiru. “What should I write?”

Ahiru laughed. “I don’t know! You’re the writer here! Write whatever comes to your head first.”

Fakir thought for a moment before gently pressing the tip of his pen onto the sheet and began to write the word ‘Green’. The letters swirled and looped together beautifully as the ink dried.

A light brightened in Fakir’s eyes and his smile widened. “Give me the next one!” he said while cleaning the green ink off his pen.

Ahiru handed him the pink one next, and like before, Fakir’s pen slowly sloped and curved to spell out ‘Pink’.

“I can’t believe how much fun this is,” he admitted, taking the last container of ink.

Ahiru was smiling as wide as Fakir. “I’m glad it was worth it then!”

Fakir was halfway through spelling ‘Purple’ when his pen stopped. He looked at her, concern suddenly on his face. “Duck, how much did these cost?” His unexpected seriousness caught her off guard.

Her blood ran cold. “I- I don’t remember,” She lied.

His eyes narrowed. “And _I_ don’t believe you.”

Ahiru twiddled her thumbs and laughed nervously. “It doesn’t matter, as long as you like them.”

Fakir set his pen down. “I do like them, Duck. I like them a lot. But tell me what you paid for them. You didn’t use your savings, did you?”

Ahiru gulped heavily, looking off to the side. “I might have used a little bit…” she muttered. After being falling victim to his merciless glare, she finally cracked.

“I… I used it all.”

Fakir ran a hand down his face, groaning with frustration. “You _idiot_ …” he moaned. The emphasis on the word really hurt, like a dagger in her chest.

“What?” Ahiru angerly challenged.

“You’re an idiot! That’s ‘what’!” he shouted.

The dagger sunk deeper.

“You shouldn’t have bought these.” He began to pack the inks back into her basket despite her protests. “If we hurry, the seller might still be in town. We might be able to get your money back.”

Ahiru grabbed his wrist and forced him to stop. He looked to see her face streaming with tears and immediately stopped fighting her hold.

“How can you be so stupid?” She asked rhetorically, her words broken by short gasps between sobs.

Fakir stood completely still, scared if he moved, she might shatter right in front of him. “Hey,” he began gently, “I’m sorry I yelled. What did I say?”

Ahiru wiped away her tears and glared daggers at him. “You don’t even understand.” It wasn’t so much of a question than just a fact she was confirming to herself. She released her hold on his wrist and ran back to her room, jamming the door shut with her desk chair.

She flopped onto her bed and pressed her face into her pillow. Her tears soaked through the fabric as a knock came from her door.

“Hey, Duck, can you open the door, please?” Fakir’s voice was much calmer than before. His concern almost convinced her to open the door, but something in her kept her chained to the bed. “Can’t we talk about this?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

There was a quiet pause, but Fakir’s shadow didn’t move from the doorway.

“Okay, I don’t understand, but I’ll be ready when you’re ready to talk.” There wasn’t any malice in his words, which made denying him more painful. She needed time to work out her head. She cried so long, Ahiru lost track of time and eventually dozed off.

 

 

It was dark when she woke up and she felt less than refreshed. She sat up and rubbed her swollen eyes. She felt cold and sore. Her feet dangled off the edge of the mattress as her brain slowly recalled everything that happened. She stared at the chair still jamming her door. Staying in bed didn’t feel like a good option, but she also didn’t want to go out.

She might accidentally run into him.

Collecting the scraps of her resolve, Ahiru pulled herself to her feet and swayed over to the chair. She picked it up and moved it back to her desk. She started walking to her wardrobe to dress for bed, but her eye caught something on the floor.

She didn’t see it at first, but under where the chair had been was a piece of paper. She kneeled and picked up the paper. She unfolded it and lit a candle to read it.

 

 

Duck,

I don’t really know what happened earlier, or what I said that distressed you so drastically, but I want you to know it wasn’t intentionally. I would never wish to hurt you in any way, and the fact that I did is maddening. The stress of trying to write a decent story is finally getting to me, but it was wrong of me to vent that frustration at you.

I was about to head to the market to see if I could get your money back, but Karon talked me out of it. He told me I should wait to hear what you had to say before doing anything on my own. Karon always seems to know best and I trust him.

Whenever you read this, I want to hear what’s going on in your head. I want you to tell me what’s bothering you. I don’t understand and the only one who can help me is you.

Please give me a chance.

                                                                                                                                    ~~Love,~~

                                                                                                                                      ~~Best Regards,~~

                                                                                                                                                     Fakir

             

 

              Ahiru set the letter down on her lap. She smiled at the pink ink he had used. She took a deep breath and sighed out all her anger and vexation. With her resolve collected and letter in hand, Ahiru stood and slowly opened the door. It groaned as it swung open just an inch and Ahiru stuck her head out to check to see if the coast was clear.

              To her surprise, a head of green hair fell over at her doorstep. Fakir instantly bolted awake and groggily looked up at her. A moment passed and Ahiru watched the realization wash over him. He scrambled to his feet and kept a reasonable distance. He saw the letter in her hands and cleared his throat.

              “Did you read it?” he asked nervously.

              Ahiru pursed her lips, anchoring her eyes to the floor. She nodded.

              “So… can we talk about this?”

              After a second, she nodded again.

Fakir hesitantly reached for her hand and she let him take it intertwining their fingers, a blush rushing to her cheeks. He led her back into her room and to her bed. She sat on the edge, on the ruffled sheets, while he pulled up the desk chair. She protectively held onto the piece of paper as if it were her source of strength.

Fakir sat patiently as Ahiru racked her brain for the right words. She took a deep breath and let it go. She needed to get her thoughts out of her head or she might explode.

“I won’t apologize for buying something with my own earned money. I understand that being concerned about my choices is your way of being concerned about _me_ , but I can’t accept that.”

Fakir sat forward, listening intently. Ahiru gulped heavily, with the warnings of tears closing her throat.

“I wanted to do something special for you, because you have done so much for me, Fakir. You have given me so much! I just wanted to do the same for you, even though I know it’s impossible to repay you for everything that you’ve done for me!” she clutched the letter so tightly it crumpled in her grip.

He looked like he was ready to jump and catch her as if she were about to fall, but he stayed glued to his seat. Ahiru made herself take a deep breath, but she knew it wouldn’t keep the tears back.

“I don’t care how much money I s-spent on some ink! It was something I thought you would like and I would g-give everything I had if it meant that it w-would make y-you happy!”

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Fakir leaped to her, wrapping her in his arms as her sobs took over. He held her tightly and gently stroked her hair.

He whispered that it was going to be okay and told her how sorry he was. She let go of the paper and grabbed onto his shirt. His arms around her were strong and sturdy. She felt safe with him. It was the one place in the world she would ever want to be. She frowned when he loosened his hold on her just enough to pull back to look at her face.

She hated showing him such an ugly face, but Fakir didn’t seem to care a bit.

“Thank you for explaining it to me. I understand why you were upset and it was wrong of me to scold you.” He cupped her cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away the trails of tears. “Will you forgive me?”

Ahiru placed her hands over his and reached up to touch his forehead with her own. “Is that even a question?” she whispered, her voice too exhausted to say anything louder.

“I’ve never been given a gift without a special reason before,” he admitted. “I didn’t know how to react, and I really messed up.”

She smiled, “Yeah, you did, but so did I. I ran away when I got scared. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I deserved it.” He said with a light blush dotting his cheeks too.

“Yeah, you kinda did.” She agreed, teasing him. They giggled comfortably in the candlelight.

They weren’t perfect, but who was? Ahiru knew Fakir wasn’t perfect, not even close, but that didn’t keep her from wanting to be close to him. He was hard-headed and determined to a fault. He never put himself first and was always slow to trust others. He was a grouch and took things too seriously.

But along with those faults, he was also blessed with amazing qualities. He was gentle and understanding. He kept those who he cared for close to him. He was a good listener and his heart was genuinely _good_. He couldn’t have been Mythos knight if he didn’t!

Ahiru didn’t need a knight in shining armor to whisk her away to happily ever after. An ordinary writer was enough for her. He had given her everything she could wish for, and she wouldn’t leave his side for the world.

Ahiru’s hands slid down to his chest. They traveled over his shoulders and around his neck. Her finger interlaced, creating a lock.

Impressed at her bravery, Fakir slipped one hand around her waist and the other behind the nape of her neck. His touch was fire and Ahiru smiled giddily like a child. Amused by her excitement, Fakir slowly pulled her lips to his own and Ahiru was home.

At first, the kisses were chaste and light. They were quick but always just as quickly replaced. Then they became more drawn out, more intimate. Their lips danced together, moving back and forth in rhythm.

Ahiru’s hands moved to Fakir’s hair and untied the string that kept his hair in a bun. The up-do fell apart and his hair cascaded down and all around his face. She broke the kiss, leaving both of them out of breath. Her cold, thin fingers brushed his long locks out of his face, and she smiled.

Feeling inspired, Fakir reached down and began to unwind Ahiru’s braid. His arms wrapped around her, but he was careful not to touch her. Ahiru hated his teasing but allowed it for now.

Once his hands had reached her scalp, he held her head and leaned down closer to her. He was ready, and his half-lidded eyes were begging for more, but she wanted to tease him a little bit more. It’s what he deserved, after all!

She cupped his cheeks in her palms and leaned forward so that their noses were millimeters from touching. As he pulled her closer, Ahiru tilted her chin up slightly and kissed him on the forehead. She smirked at the disappointed look on his face and decided to try again. This time when she leaned forward and kissed him on the tip of his nose. She nearly laughed at his whimper. Before she could tease him again, Fakir took matters into his own hands.

He unbuttoned the back of Ahiru’s shirt and tugged it down before wrapping both arms around her petite waist. Leaning forward, Fakir whispered next in her ear.

“This is payback.”

Before Ahiru could say anything, Fakir tilted his head and began leaving a trail of kisses down the side of her neck. Each time, he gently nibbled on her skin, sending shivers down her spine. He kissed each spot until they were bright red.

The first spot he whispered, “This is for the inks.”

The next spot, “This is for forgiving me.”

He thanked her all down her neck to her collarbone. He hesitated at the thin skin before reached down, tenderly treating the area. He took his time kissing and nibbling the skin.

“This is for loving me, for loving me despite my faults, and giving me something to live for.”

Ahiru’s breath hitched as he nestled her. She gingerly brought his face to hers and shook her head. “I don’t love you despite your faults, Fakir. You’ve got it wrong.”

Fakir’s face filled with concern, but Ahiru put his worry to rest.

“I love everything about you, Fakir. I love your good points and your bad points. There’s so much more to love about you than just the good things. I love _all_ of you. You are _my_ reason for living.”

With tears in his eyes, Fakir pulled Ahiru to his chest, embracing her with everything he had, and he had no intentions of letting her go.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading to the end!


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